Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1887-12-01

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were under lease for different terms at @
gross annual rental OF $285, 729 so; be-
sides fifty stations at the rental Of S62,-
62l; and 10 the remainder, money allow
arces for rent, incurred and to be paid by
the postmaster, to the amount in gross
for the year of S92,643, have been or
dered.
AS rule the government buildings
furnish apartments less than satisfactory
for postoffices, and many much superior
are to be found in buildings rented by the
Department and equipped, sometimes
butt, by owners under the care of its in
spectors.
The conviction has become strong in
my mind, from the observation and eX-
perience enjoyed in this place, thst the
government should build its poStofices
separately and solely for postal uses;
that they should be constructed wholly
by this department, and with requisite
precautions Of law TO secure economy,
suitability and harmony of design; that
they should be built in every city or town
where the magnitude of the service war
rants an Independent office, although from
time to time only, perhaps, as the surplus
revenues of the service will warrant.
CLERKS IN PosToFFICEs.
"For compensation to clerks in post
Offices S., 450, 000," resds the latest act
Of appropriation, pursuing with only Z
difference in amount the language Of those
which have preceded it. And, except
that the general statutes authorize al
loWances to postmasters for it's eXpendi-
ture at Offices Of the first Snd second
classes only, and at distributing or sepsr-
ating offices ''for the necessary cost OF
clerical services arising from such
du!ies;" and that an old statute, in part,
at least, repealed, directs that
"Whenever unusual business accrues
at any postoffice, the Postmaster
General shall make special
order allowing resso. able compensation
for clerical service and proportionate in
crease Of salary to the postmaster during
the time Of such extraordinary business"
there is substantially the end Of the law
On the subject. The statute does, indeed,
limit the total allowances to the first and
second class Offices "for the necessary
cost Of REM, fuel, lights, furniture, sta
tionery, printing, clerks, and necessary
incidentals" to "the surplus revenues
Of their respective offces-that Is to say,
| the excess of boX-rents and commissions
over and above the salary assigned 20 the
office" but the statute which hXed such
commissions has been repealed.
! There ia also special limitation re-
specting money-order service not neces-
sary to repest. So far as the postal ser
vice is concerned, this large and increas-
| ing item of expenditure (oesides others
| for rent, light, fuel, furniture, stationery,
and necessary incidentally is turned over
to the department to be Glsbursed romi-
nally at the will OF the head of it, practl-
ticaliy by the clerks in the division Of sal
arIes and allowances, under correction Of
! its chief and first assistant. This is In
striking contrast with the nice limitations
fixed in the annual act for the service Of
the depsrtn ent itself, appropIi2tiDg but
about $S00,000 to be expended immedi-
ately under the eye of the officers charged
! With its government, in which the par
ticuIar amount applicable to each Of the
various classes Of clerks in each office,
and fer each item of supplies is carefully
assigned. a greater sum is appropriated
by the department for q single postoffiCe.
Such e method OF providing for the
poGtC flies may have been adapted TO the
early days of the service; but, With
gradual expansion, is errors, misJudg-
ments and inequalities must have been
onstsntly accommodating; and it is highe
mark OF the integrity and fidelity CT thos
who have had charge OF the distribution
that no other reprosch can be aimed st
the history Of their Cffice, and that re-
| proach is not theirs; theirs is the credit
| tnst in such circumstances of embarrass-
meng and difficulty il is no worse.
| In the flrst-class offices totsl allowances
vary from S 5 per cent. to "a per cent,
exclusive Of rent, light and fuel, and at
1 D, Ytoro ant ~ 70
ceipts; and in each Of the different grades
of second class offices similar or greater
disproportioGxte allowances are shown.
Holyoke, Mass, and Houston, Tex stand
side by side in the table, with difference
IN gross receipts of $50 in favor of the
former and Of $6203 OF allowances in
favor Of the latter, which receives three
times the sum for clerical service that the
former requires, the percentage OF gross
receipts so consumed being 9,4 per cent.
in one and 2S2 in the other.
It is apparent that comprehensive.
well ordered system ought TO be devised
for the government Of this feature of the
service
THE FREE-DRLIyERY SERVICE
wes, during the last fiscal year, extended
to eight additional cities which had
reached the limits then required by law
of $40, 200 gross receipts or 20 900 popu-
lstion, and were thus within the discre-
tionary consideration of the department.
These were Birmingham in Alabama,
Wichita in Kansas, Battle Creek in
Michigan, Winons in Minnesota, Joliet
and Rock Island in Illinoia, Bradford in
Pennsy vanis, and Rutland in Vermont.
Their addition left the total number of
places within the privileges of this system
to be 1S9 st the end Of the year.
The increase in the performances and
requirements of this service WAS in
greater proportion than of added towns.
There was increase in the whole number
Of pieces Of mail matter handled by
carriers of IA l6 per cent, or 2S5, 044, 057
pieces, the aggregate reaching 2,234, 1884,
656, the gain being in every clsss OF msil
matter, and in the following percentages.
respectively: in deliveries Of mail letters,
Is ID; of fnail postal cards, II 43; OF
registered letters, SIS; of newspapers,
14.06; of local letters, 20.l9: ana local
postal cards, 1911; in collection OF
letters, 1915; of postal cards, Is 50, and
of newspapers, Ills. The enhanced
local use of carriers will DE observed
with interest, and its effect noted in the